Barramundi Group Australia (BGA) plans to expand its barramundi operation off the West Kimberley Coast, in the state of Western Australia. The company plans a 10-year project which is expected to have a capital spend of around AU$350 million. 

Barramundi Group chief executive officer, Andreas von Scholten, said the company had been collaborating with environmental consultants for several years to develop a strategy to sustainably grow production in the region over the next decade. The plan considers best management practices including fallowing, biosecurity, and a scale-up process at a rate that allows adaptive management. 

“We have identified 13 marine sites that will ultimately allow us to sustainably expand to a capacity of 30,000 tonnes production annually. We are also proposing to develop three land-based fish nurseries and a processing facility in the region,” von Scholten said.  “Our vision is to be considered leaders in the field and to also apply innovative technologies to our operations. As barramundi producers, we are always searching for ways to continuously improve and have processes within our business to support adaptive management and third-party certifications. This gives our customers and the community confidence that we are upholding best practices in food safety, environmental responsibility, social accountability, and animal health and welfare. Our current operation is certified by Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP), a trusted and proven third-party aquaculture certification program. BAP brings comprehensive end-to-end certification, auditing each step of our production chain.”